The mana in the area surged as Lord Miles conjured several Fire Lances and sent them my way. At the same time, thorny vines grew out of the ground beneath me, bursting through the cobblestone.
Even as I dodged his attacks, a part of me admired Lord Miles ability to control mana and cast spells. He wasn’t the heir of a Great House for nothing.
“Gabe!” Annabelle yelled.
She moved to block the attacks with her body. She wasn’t the only one. Leroy moved to intercept the Fire Lances as well. However, I didn’t give them the chance. I pushed Annabelle away, so she didn’t get hurt, and rushed towards Lord Miles.
[Lightning Arts: Lightning Flash]
I dashed forward, stopping right in front of Lord Miles. His Fire Lances flew right past me, aiming for the spot where I had just been. The thorny vines missed me by a hair, though one managed to snag onto my pants and rip them.
Lord Miles’ eyes widened when he saw me appear right in front of him. He barely had a chance to cast a shield spell before I punched him right in the chest. Since I didn’t have to worry about killing him, I didn’t hold back and used the body enhancement technique to increase my strength, speed, and toughness.
While I was at the peak of the First Rank of body cultivation, that wasn’t enough to break through a shield spell cast by a Second Circle wizard.
Yet.
Once I reached the Second Rank of my body cultivation technique, I would be at the same level of strength as a Second Circle Earth wizard at the first thread using internal magic; maybe even stronger.
A crack rang out in the air as my fist collided with Lord Miles’ chest. He staggered back, no doubt caught off guard by my strength. After all, I wasn’t an Earth wizard. I wasn’t supposed to be this strong.
Without giving him a chance to react, I hit Lord Miles in the chest again. I kept hitting him over and over, keeping him off balance. While I didn’t specialize in the Sky Breaker Style, that didn’t mean I couldn’t borrow some of its moves. With each hit, I knocked Lord Miles back a few steps.
“Knock him out now!” I yelled.
While I had been hitting Lord Miles, my parents rushed towards us. I wasn’t strong enough to beat him yet, but I could distract long enough so he didn’t hurt anyone else or himself.
Father grabbed Lord Miles and hit him with the Spark Touch spell. While it was a First Circle spell, it had the power of a Fourth Circle wizard behind it. The spell shattered Lord Miles’ shield spell in an instant. As soon as that happened, my father lowered the intensity of his Spark Touch to avoid killing Lord Miles.
As Lightning coursed through his body, the heir to House Thorne let out a pained scream before falling over unconscious. Father caught him before he fell to the ground.
“Brother!” Lord Dominic yelled.
He raised his hand, a Fire Bolt appearing in his palm. Before he could lob it at anyone, Annabelle called out to him.
“Dom, stop!” she commanded.
“But, Anabelle, they-…” Lord Dominic started to say, but Annabelle interrupted him.
“They only knocked Miles out,” she said. “They didn’t kill him.” She walked up to her younger brother. “Listen to me, Dom. Something is wrong with Miles. You saw how he was. I think something happened to him. We should get him examined.”
“I concur,” Lady Teresa said, adjusting her glasses. “Lord Miles brought us here under false pretenses, and then tried to kill Lord Gabriel without reason. That isn’t like him. At the very least, he would have challenged Lord Gabriel to a duel first if he had been in his right mind.”
Lord Dominic looked between them, an uncertain expression on his face, before nodding.
“I’m sorry, Annabelle,” he said, his words coming out in a rush. “I saw that he wasn’t acting right, but I thought that was normal. It’s just that you disappeared all of a sudden, and we were all so worried about you. We all went a little crazy.”
Annabelle winced.
“I’m sorry, Dom,” she said, pulling her younger brother into a hug. He latched onto her with the desperation of a drowning man grasping a life preserver. “I thought that my note would be enough. I thought that if I told you guys in person what I planned to do, you would try to stop me.”
“Of course we would have!” Lady Teresa said. “You ran off to the Icefall Region to find Lord Gabriel. You know how crazy that sounds.” She switched to English. “Are you sure you aren’t under the effects of a Dark magic spell, Honey? Why the sudden interest in Lord Gabriel? I thought you still had feelings for that Otherworlder you told me about, Brandon.”
Wait, Lady Teresa knew how to speak English? Since when?
“Let’s talk about this later,” Annabelle replied in English. She glanced at me, still hugging Lord Dominic. “Right now, we should focus on Miles.”
Lady Teresa nodded.
“Thank you for showing up when you did,” I said, turning towards my parents. “When I left Sturm Hill Hall today, I didn’t expect something like this to happen.”
“No one could have predicted this,” Father said while hefting Lord Miles onto his shoulder. “Lord Miles’ actions caught everyone off guard.”
“You could have found a better way to call for help, however,” Mother said in a sardonic voice. “I think you scared ten years off of your sister’s life. Not only that, but Grandfather is angry with you for the way you mishandled Grandmother’s sword.”
“Wait, Sky’s Dream used to be Great Grandmother’s?”
“Oh yes. It belonged to her before she passed away.”
Oh. Sky’s Dream was a family heirloom then, one which used to belong to Grandfather Gabe’s wife.
I looked up at him. He gave me a mirthless smile while tapping Sky’s Dream against his palm. The sight sent chills down my spine.
I think it’s time for me to take a nap, Aurora said, before diving deep into my dantian.
I sighed. Well, fuck.
“Dear, may I borrow your fan?” Mother asked Father. “I’m going to head back to Sturm Hill Hall and check in on Kaylee.”
Father nodded and handed her the fan, before heading in the direction of the Church of the Sun. Mother hopped onto the fan and flew off.
As our group made its way to the Church of the Sun, Lady Theresa grabbed Lord Oliver by the ear and pulled him away from Guildmaster Sinclair. She then started explaining the situation to him, confirming that he had indeed been not paying attention.
I stayed behind for a bit to talk with Guildmaster Sinclair. Leroy remained by my side, giving me an annoyed look. His expression told me that he had a lecture in store for me.
“Well, it looks like you have everything under control here,” Guildmaster Sinclair said, giving the departing Lord Oliver a wary look. “I’m heading back to the guild.”
“Thank you for your help,” I told her. “The situation would have turned ugly if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”
She waved off my thanks.
“Don’t worry about it,’ she said. “You’re one of my people now, remember? I look after my own.” She narrowed her single eye at me. “Just don’t mention anything about what you heard about me, all right? I worked hard to escape that part of my life, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
I nodded. Though I was curious about this whole “Charity the Crusher” business, I wouldn’t ask her about it. Clearly, it was a sore subject for Guildmaster Sinclair.
Instead, I would just ask Lord Oliver.
Guildmaster Sinclair started to turn away, but then stopped.
“Oh, what do you want me to do about her?” she said, jerking a thumb towards Avianna.
I studied Avianna, who remained concealed through whatever spells she was using. The woman glared back at me. After a moment, I shook my head.
“Let her go,” I said. “She’s a House Thorne retainer. If you leave her up there, it might come back to bite you in the long run.”
Guildmaster Sinclair nodded, and the wooden restraints holding Avianna in place released her. Despite the sudden drop, the woman landed on her feet with little issue. She gripped her short sword, looking like she wanted to cut me down, but the presence of Guildmaster Sinclair and Leroy kept her in check.
“You can stay here and glare at me all you want,” I told her. “Or you could follow your mistress and keep an eye on her.”
Avianna glared at me for a few more seconds, before she ran off in the direction Annabelle and the others went. I sighed. What a mess.
I nodded farewell to Guildmaster Sinclair, and went to follow the others.
“Young master,” Leroy said as we made our way to the Church of the Sun. “I know this may be difficult for you to understand, but I can’t do my job if you keep running into danger before I can react.”
I sighed again.
----------------------------------------
The Room of Healing for Icefall City’s Church of the Sun was too small to accommodate anyone except for the patients in need of healing, and the priests who healed them. This meant that everyone waited in the hallway outside of the Room of Healing, while Priest Sinclair examined Lord Miles.
We divided ourselves into three groups. In one group there was myself, Leroy, and Father. Lady Teresa and Lord Oliver stood off to the side by themselves, whispering amongst each other. Avianna, Lord Dominic, and Annabelle formed the third group.
Annabelle was comforting Lord Dominic, doing her best to reassure him. Having his sister disappear for several weeks, and his brother going a little mad, could not have been easy on the guy. Guilt etched Annabelle’s features, which mirrored my own.
While I didn’t regret what happened, I knew that our actions had harmed a lot of the people around us. It was selfish of us, but given the chance to do it all over again, I knew we would make the same choices. .
I could push all the responsibility off onto Annabelle, since she was the one who ran away from home, but if our positions had been reversed, I would have done the exact same thing. If I could ease her burden, even just a little, by taking some of the blame, I would.
By the time I arrived at the Church of the Sun, after talking with Guildmaster Sinclair, the others had already explained the situation to Priest Sinclair. While he looked baffled to have so many House scions arrive on his doorstep, the man kept his composure and had Lord Miles brought to the Room of Healing in order to examine him.
He told us that he didn’t know if he would find anything wrong with Lord Miles, if there was anything wrong to find, but he would do his best. After that, he shut the door to the Room of Healing. One of the junior priests under Priest Sinclair’s command offered to get us all refreshments, but none of us accepted. I wasn’t in the mood to eat or drink, and neither was anyone else.
Grandfather Gabe disappeared somewhere along the way, which scared me a little. Something told me that he would punish me somehow for what happened in the library with Sky’s Dream. I made a mental note to find another flying sword for Aurora to practice with, so a situation like that didn’t occur again.
While we waited to hear word from Priest Sinclair, I explained the situation to Father, at least the parts that happened before he and Mother arrived.
“While I can understand Lord Miles’ concern,” Father said, stroking his chin. “I don’t understand why he thought you used Dark magic to control Lady Annabelle. Yes, the sudden change in your relationship is strange, but it isn’t that uncommon for former enemies to become friends or even lovers.”
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“Like what happened with you and Mother?” I asked.
“Yes,” Father said with a wistful smile. “When I first saw your mother, she had just lit my carriage on fire. Even though she was trying to kill me, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.” His smile grew wider. “Or maybe that was part of the reason why I thought she was beautiful.”
I gave my father a mystified look. I was beginning to realize that everyone in my family was just a bit odd, myself included. After all, Annabelle almost killed me and I fell in love with you right after. Well, I regained my memories of her right after, but that was even stranger.
I also realized that I took after Father more than I realized. I thought I was more like Mother, since she also had a temper and sometimes flew off the handle, but it was nice to know that I inherited some traits from my father.
As we spoke, Lady Teresa and Lord Oliver approached us.
“Lord Gabriel,” Lady Teresa said, studying me through her spectacles. “May we speak with you in private?”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
This was a first. I don’t think either Lady Teresa or Lord Oliver had ever asked to speak with me in private before. Then again, I hadn’t been particularly friendly to them in the past. Before Annabelle arrived in the Solarian Imperial Academy, I paid them no mind. One was a bookworm of little note, while the other was a vulgar brute with no class. Back then, I considered them beneath me.
When I think about how much of a snob I was back then, I wanted to shake my head and call my past self an idiot.
After they became Annabelle’s friends, I considered them annoyances and obstacles to be dealt with.
“Regarding what?” I asked.
“Lady Annabelle,” Lord Oliver said, giving me a hard look.
I sighed. Of course. I glanced over at Annabelle. She was still comforting Lord Dominic, and wasn’t paying any attention to us. Now that he wasn’t attempting to put up a tough front, Lord Dominic looked even younger than I originally thought. Avianna glared at me, which was business as usual.
I looked at Father.
“Go ahead,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on things here.”
I nodded my thanks.
“Very well,” I said to Annabelle’s friends.
The three of us, plus Leroy, looked for a place where we could have a private conversation. In the end, we went to a walled off vegetable garden located behind the Church of the Sun. The sun was still high in the sky. Despite everything that had happened, only an hour at most had passed since Annabelle and I left the restaurant. Time was funny like that.
“Well then,” I said, facing Annabelle’s friends. “What did you want to talk about?”
“What are your intentions towards Lady Annabelle?” Lord Oliver demanded right away.
That was fast.
“While Ollie has the tact and subtlety of a boulder rolling downhill,” Lady Teresa said, giving her companion a sideways glance. “He does have a point. A conversation like this requires some bluntness on our part. What are your intentions towards Lady Annabelle?”
I snorted.
“What?” I asked. “Are you two filling in for her parents now?”
“Yes,” Lady Teresa said without batting an eyelid. “Her parents aren’t here, and Lord Miles is currently indisposed. Since that’s the case, it’s up to us to look after Lady Annabelle’s interests and see that she isn’t being taken advantage of.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Ollie and I witnessed firsthand how you treated Lady Annabelle. You put her through hell, Lord Gabriel. Now, all of a sudden, the two of you are courting. Anyone would be concerned by a change this sudden. How did this happen? Why? What happened?”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Do you also think I used Dark magic to manipulate Lady Annabelle?” I asked, a dangerous edge to my voice.
“It’s not outside the realm of possibility,” Lady Teresa said, giving me a hard look.
“Did you do something to Lady Annabelle?” Lord Oliver asked. “Because if you did, I swear I will pummel you into the ground.”
I found that threat amusing since Leroy was with me. Either Lord Oliver hadn’t learned his lesson, or he didn’t care. I hoped it was the former. If nothing else, it demonstrated loyalty and concern for Annabelle rather than stupidity on Lord Oliver’s part.
“I didn’t use Dark magic on Lady Annabelle,” I said. “Neither did I coerce or manipulate her into being with me in any way.” I mean, I lied to her, but that was to keep my distance from her. “And to answer your first question, Lord Oliver, my intentions are honorable. I wish to wed Lady Annabelle.” I grinned at them. “Satisfied?”
They didn’t look satisfied. In fact, they looked rather dissatisfied.
“You expect us to believe you?” Lady Teresa scoffed. “Especially after what you did to her?”
Lord Oliver just crossed his arms and glared at me.
“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” I said with a shrug. “My relationship with Lady Annabelle is none of your business. I answered your questions because you are her friends and she loves you, but I am not obligated to explain anything to you two. You are neither her guardians nor her parents.” I gave them a sharp smile. “And I will give you this one warning. If you attempt to jeopardize our relationship or get in the way of us being together, I will make you regret it.”
Their expressions grew dark at my words.
“Oh yeah?” Lord Oliver said, smashing his fist in his palm. “I’d like to see you try.”
Lady Teresa walked forward until we were less than a foot apart.
“I know Lady Annabelle,” she said in a quiet voice. “She wouldn’t do something like this without a good reason. Are the two of you working together? Is this some kind of ploy?” She snapped her fingers. “I seriously doubt that the two of you fell in love just like that. Besides, I know that she is in love with someone else.”
“Why don’t you ask Lady Annabelle those questions?” I asked. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to catch up with one another on the trip back to Sunheart.” I leaned forward and spoke the next sentence in English. “I will say this, however. You don’t know as much as you think you do, Lady Teresa. There is more to the world than what can be found in your books.”
Lady Teresa stared at me, stunned. I walked past her, heading back inside.
“Hey, we’re not done talking!” Lord Oliver said.
He reached out to stop me, but I grabbed his wrist before he could.
“Next time you attempt to touch me without my permission,” I told him. “I’ll break your hand.”
I shoved him back. Not enough to knock him down, but enough to send him stumbling back a few steps. With that, I marched back inside.
----------------------------------------
When I returned to the hallway outside of the Room of Healing, with Lady Teresa and Lord Oliver just behind me, the door was open and Priest Sinclair was talking to Annabelle and Lord Dominic. Father leaned against the wall nearby, far enough away to avoid eavesdropping but close enough to keep an eye on them; assuming he didn’t use his spirit sense to pry, of course.
I kept my distance to give them some semblance of privacy. However, with my senses, listening in on their conversation was child’s play.
“I’ll do what I can with my meager power,” Priest Sinclair said. “But the sooner you take your brother to the Grand Temple of the Sun the better.”
“Thank you, Priest Sinclair,” Annabelle said, with a sigh.
At this, Priest Sinclair nodded before walking away, closing the door to the Room of Healing behind him.
I approached the scions of House Thorne. Lord Dominic glared at me; it looked like he had regained his composure. Avianna stepped forward, putting herself between me and Annabelle. I ignored them both.
“Any news?” I asked Annabelle.
“That is none of your concern, Lord Gabriel,” Lord Dominic snapped out before she could reply. “This is a House Thorne matter.”
I gave him a cold look.
“Since your brother accused me of using Dark magic, Lord Dominic,” I said. “And tried to kill me, I say it very much is my concern.”
Lord Dominic opened his mouth to retort, but Annabelle put a hand on his shoulder.
“He’s right,” she said, before jerking a thumb at Father. “Besides, have you forgotten about Lord Sturm? With his spirit sense, listening in on our conversation would be a simple matter for someone like him.”
That was putting it mildly. As a Fourth Circle wizard, Father could listen in on a conversation from several miles away. A conversation down the hallway was nothing to him.
This was why people had sensitive conversations in place secured by spells to ensure privacy, unless they knew for certain that there was no one around to listen in.
Lord Dominic glanced back at Father, who gave him a tight smile in return. He slumped, and I saw the fight drain out of him. Poor kid. Today had not been easy on him.
“When did everything go so wrong?” he asked in a dejected voice.
Annabelle winced at this. I hope she wasn’t blaming herself for all of this. Yes, she ran away from home, but Lord Miles was responsible for his own actions.
“To answer your question, Gabe,” Annabelle said, looking at me. “Miles is under the effects of a Dark magic spell. The spell was designed to strengthen negative emotions, and have them go out of control. That’s why Miles acted the way he did.” She nodded in the direction Priest Sinclair had gone. “The priests here can detect the spell, and suppress it, but they can’t get rid of it. For that, we need to go to the Grand Temple near Sunheart.”
The Grand Temple, or the Grand Temple of the Sun to use its full name, was the heart of the Church of the Sun. It was the holiest of their sacred sites, and the home of their most powerful priests.
The Grand Temple was a complex the size of a small city, rather than just a single building. Located near the imperial capital of Sunheart, it was an independent territory owned and operated by the Church of the Sun. No House, not even House Solaria, could interfere with it.
If anyone could dispel the Dark magic spell afflicting Lord Miles, it would be someone within the Grand Temple.
“So,” I said, feeling a little melancholic. “It’s time for you to leave.”
“Yes,” Annabelle said, giving me a sad smile. “Life caught up with us, and now we have to do this the right and proper way.”
Lord Dominic looked between the two of us, his expression a mix of worry and disgust.
“Wait, that wasn’t a joke earlier?” he asked. “You two are courting?”
“Yes,” Annabelle and I said at the same time.
“No, I refuse!” He glared at me. “You can’t court my sister!”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I wasn’t aware that you had a say in our relationship, Lord Dominic,” I said in a sardonic tone.
He opened his mouth to reply, but Annabelle put a hand on his shoulder to silence him.
“Dom, enough,” she said in a stern voice. “There’s been enough fighting already. You and I are leaving in a few days, and I’m going to need your help when we get home. Can I trust you to keep yourself under control until then?”
After several moments Lord Dominic nodded, though he looked unhappy about it.
“We’re leaving in three days,” Annabelle said, looking at me again. “You think that’s long enough to deal with our unfinished business?”
From the way she emphasized “unfinished business”, I assumed she meant forming her dantian. She only needed one day for that, but it didn’t hurt to add some wriggle room. Besides, she needed to pack and say her goodbyes.
“I’d say so, yes,” I said. “Kaylee and the others are going to miss you.” I lowered my voice. “I’m going to miss you, my beloved.”
Avianna’s murderous intent flared when I said that, and Lord Dominic made fake retching noises. Or maybe they were real. His face looked a little green. I could feel Lady Teresa and Lord Oliver just staring at me.
“You cheesy dope,” Annabelle said, her cheeks red. She shoved my shoulder. “I have to get the others settled in. I’ll meet you at Sturm Hill Hall tonight.”
“In that case, I bid you goodbye.” I grabbed Annabelle’s hand and kissed it.
“Before you go,” she said. “Can you promise to keep Miles’ condition to yourself? If this gets out…”
Annabelle trailed off. She didn’t need to finish her sentence. If it got out that the heir to House Thorne was under the effects of a Dark magic spell, House Thorne’s reputation would suffer. Not only would Lord Miles’ every action in recent weeks, or even months, come under scrutiny, but the entire House would come under suspicion.
It was a stain on their otherwise immaculate name.
“What will you give me in return?” I asked, grinning at her.
Annabelle rolled her eyes, before pulling me in for a quick kiss. Lord Dominic did retched again, while Avianna’s hand twitched. I assume she wanted to draw her sword and gut me, but the presence of both Leroy and Father kept her in check.
“There,” Annabelle said. “Now get going.”
“Yes, yes,” I said, before heading off.
As I passed her by, I gave Avianna a cold glare. I had tolerated her behavior so far because she was Annabelle’s bodyguard, but my patience had its limits. If she stepped out of line again, I would kill her. Whether or not she got the message was up to her. I didn’t care either way.
Father pushed himself off the wall as I neared him. The two of us walked side by side, while Leroy followed us from behind. We left the Church of the Sun and headed in the direction of the House Sturm carriage. The streets were rather busy at this time of day. Despite this, everyone gave us a wide berth, providing us some semblance of privacy if we kept our voices low.
Father didn’t hide his aura, so the wizards knew to get out of our way. For the mortals, our clothing and Leroy’s presence was enough to clue them in.
Just to be safe, I cast a low-level Air spell to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
“Are you sure you want to pursue a relationship with Lady Annabelle?” Father asked. “The two of you will face a lot of opposition from House Thorne. They won’t make it easy for either of you.”
I nodded.
“Yes,” I said. “I love her, and she loves me. That’s what matters the most to the both of us. Regardless of any opposition we face, we will be together.” I gave Father a sideways glance. “Besides, you and Mother faced a similar situation from her family when you two married.”
Father's expression twisted when I said this, as he recalled bad memories.
“Yes, we did,” he said in a soft voice. “And that experience scarred your mother’s heart. Is Lady Annabelle ready to face something like that?” He shook his head. “I’m not trying to dissuade you from being together. I just want you to know that you two face a difficult, and potentially painful, road together.”
I stopped. Father took a few more steps, before he stopped as well and faced me.
“Lady Annabelle is prepared to elope if necessary,” I said. “Even if it means abandoning her friends and family.”
Father stared at me in disbelief.
“She would go that far?”
“Yes,” I said. “Because she knows that I would do the same for her if necessary.”
I felt shitty saying this to my father, but I wanted him to know just how far I would go to be with Annabelle.
“I see,” Father said in a flat voice.
“Not that either of us want to do that,” I said. “It is an option of last resort, but it is an option.”
Father nodded.
“I can’t say that I’m happy to hear that, Gabriel,” he said, before looking down. “But I understand where you’re coming from. Your mother and I felt the same, though Claire was the one who paid the heavier price in the end.”
The air between us felt heavy as we resumed walking.
“What do you plan to do about House Thorne?” I asked, hoping the change in topic would help lighten the mood.
“You mean in regards to Lord Miles?” Father asked.
“Yes.”
Just because I agreed to remain silent about Lord Miles’ condition, didn’t mean that Father would.
He mulled it over for a bit.
“Nothing, for now,” he said. “Due to the Dark magic spell affecting him, Lord Miles’ actions were not entirely his own. This affords him a bit of leeway.” He lifted his hand and held his index finger and thumb about a hair’s width apart. “This much leeway. For your sake and Lady Annabelle’s, I’ll keep what I learned to myself for now.” He gave me a sideways glance. “However, if he attempts to harm you like that again, I will not hesitate to ruin him, heir to a Great House or not.”
His words warmed my heart, while also making me feel even shittier for my words earlier.
“Thank you, Father,” I said. “And I’m sorry.”
“Think nothing of it, Gabriel,” Father said. “You are, and always will be, my son.”
After that, we spent the rest of our journey back to Sturm Hill Hall in silence.